Even though Hatley Pointe won’t be open to the public for skiing and riding this season, it looks like some snowboarders were able to get on the mountain this season.
The Recess ride shop team was lucky enough to to have North Carolina’s newest ski area-to-be to itself recently. The resort has been testing out its snowmaking capabilities, so it only makes sense that some riders were able to take advantage of all that snow.
Hatley Pointe owner Deborah Hatley posted about it on her personal Instagram.
“As we worked through our snowmaking last week, we were able to open up the slopes to a small group of people to come feel and play on the terrain,” Hatley said. “I loved watching this crazy, cool group do their thing, and cannot wait until we can give them the best terrain park in the southeast.”
SkiSoutheast Si
Enough about what that groundhog up north had to say about winter. SkiSoutheast has the real prediction for you this morning.
“Si is consistent and his convictions are strong, he quickly insisted that Phil is plain wrong, he shared that winter will be around six more weeks, there will be plenty of snow and rosy red cheeks,” Mike Doble said, channeling his inner Walt Whitman.
Weather
Meteorologist Brad Panovich has this week’s forecast for you today. There will be some snowmaking opportunities for us at the night time, but the weather will be pretty mild overall. There are signs that a bigger pattern of colder weather could change in the middle of this month.
“Right now, looking at the conditions across the southeast, it looks pretty good, some of the best conditions I’ve seen, even though we haven’t got a lot of cold and snow lately,” Brad said.
Full Circle
I finally got around to watching the Trevor Kennison documentary Full Circle yesterday. It’s on Netflix, and it’s an amazing watch. There are a lot of tear-inducing moments for sure, and the film goes back and forth between Kennison’s story, and the back story of Barry Corbet, who Corbet’s Couloir is actually named after. Corbet was a pioneer climber, extreme skier, and filmmaker who also became disabled after injuring his spinal cord after falling from a helicopter while filming a ski movie.
It’s truly an amazing story, and it made me appreciate just how dedicated Kennison was to his craft. When he first returned to the ski slopes after his injury, he was ski racing, and training to make the United State Paralympic team. But his heart was in freeskiing; he was in the Vail backcountry when he sustained his injury on his snowboard, and sending jumps and dropping cliffs is where he truly felt the most like himself. Rather than settle for a perfectly good career as a ski racer, he pivoted to what made him happiest.
Without delay, here’s what to know about the southeast today:
Massanutten
It’s sunny with temperatures in the lower 40s today.
The snowmaking team was able to freshen things up a little over night and will be shutting down this morning as the temperatures rise. Hit the slopes today for our Tropical Beach Party! Dress in your most tropical fun in the sun attire while enjoying beach music at Creekside Lift. Take a break from the slopes with coconut drinks and food specials all day at Base Camp and Elevations Lounge.”
Sugar
The lift lines looked uncharacteristically long for a Friday yesterday, but that may have scared people away from the rest of the day. SkiSoutheast’s editor and founder Mike Doble was out there around 6 p.m. and there were no lines to be seen.
“Snow was choppy until traffic worked it,” he said. “Really nice after a few laps.”
Wintergreen
“The snowmaking team has blanketed the mountain in a fresh layer of snow.”
All five lifts are open today, and 19 of the 26 slopes are good to ski and ride today, including Upper Sunrise, Eagels Swoop, Upper Tyro, Potato Patch, and Lower Diamond Hill.
The temperature will have highs in the 30s today, and the slopes are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Omni Homestead
Snowmaking is off for now. That could resume when the conditions allow, but as Lynn Swann says this morning, that could be until Monday night.
And even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, there are plenty of winter festivities planned at Omni Homestead. Some highlights:
Here are a few highlights:
- Starlight soaks at the Warm Springs Pools – reserve a bathhouse for you and that special someone on Feb 10 or 14 for $400.
- Presidential portrait unveiling – join us Feb 17 as we announce the addition of a recently discovered presidential visit from our past.
- Special Valentine’s dinner for 2 in the American Audubon Dining Room on Feb 9, 10 and 14. A four-course meal featuring a duet of tomahawk ribeye and grilled lobster for only $250 per couple.
- Presidential cocktails with author Mark Will-Weber – Meet the author of Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt, the Complete History of Presidential Drinking on February 17. We’ll be selling all 3 of his presidential drink books and he’ll be here telling stories and signing books.
- New wine tasting series! – Join sommelier Quynh Cohen on Feb 3, 17 and 24 for a tasting of California wines. Reservations available via OpenTable.
Timberline
It looks like the start of a beautiful day at Timberline. There is 100% of the terrain open yet again, and it’s college weekend.
“Present your current College ID at the Ticket Window for discounted lift tickets and rental equipment specials,” the snow report says.
- $60 for a single day
- $55 per day for two days
- $50 per day for all three days
- Rentals for $29 for a single day
- Rentals for $24 per day for 2-3 days
Snowshoe
There are 58 open trails and 12 open lifts this morning.
The Southern Alpine Racing Association is racing on Widowmaker this weekend, and the Soaring Eagle lift is the best spot for a view of the action.
No new natural snow today. Temperatures will hit 38 degrees, and they will be in the 40s for tomorrow.
Winterplace
It’s a beautiful day for a cold one.
The West Virginia Craft Beer Showcase is held for the first time at Winterplace today. The event will be held in the Mountain House, and does not require a lift ticket, just a $20 entry fee. That fee includes five drink tickets. More information on that here.
As for the slopes, the crew at Winterplace has fired up 9 of the 10 available lifts for this weekend, a huge upgrade from just days earlier.
Video Of The Day
Wonderkid Kai Jones in the rugged terrain at Snowbird Resort in Utah.
The Rest
Don’t forget: Clear your calendar from February 9-11. That’s when Massanutten and SkiSoutheast will host team up to host our summit. It’s a great way to meet like-minded, snow-loving people, and possibly make some lifelong friends in the process.
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Click here to join us on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel. It is a great way to meet new snow loving friends and shares experiences, ask questions, and more!
And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.